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Glasgow Launch European Campaign With Win In France

Montpellier 11, Glasgow 30With uncanny timing, however coincidental, fireworks cracked and sparkled in celebration over Carcassonne's ancient walls and towers this evening as Glasgow notched their first European tournament victory in France. A winning margin of 19 points, with a 3-2 try-count, was a satisfying, comfortable cushion to take from the away leg of the Parker Pen Challenge Cup first-round tie.When the teams meet again, six days hence at Hughenden in the second leg, Glasgow will be in the driving seat. They can dictate the pattern of play. They can frustrate the French, and if the correct cards are played Glasgow could finish off the tie in style. Hughenden needs a home win to reboot the season, and Glasgow already know how to cop with Montpellier's limited game, with mauling forwards and kick-and-chase.Tries by Donnie Macfadyen and Sean Lamont, within five minutes of each other in the second quarter of the match, paved the way for the success. Glasgow eased to a 17-6 lead at half-time, and by the end the margin had stretched to 30-11A small contingent of Glasgow supporters, 30 or so, were well rewarded. They made their presence heard, and they were not outdone by the "home" crowd. As Hugh Campbell, Glasgow's coach, acknowledged after the match, it probably counted in his team's favour that both parties had to travel a couple of hours from Montpellier to Carcassonne so that the game could be played.Because of flooding in the region, with rivers still in spate and vineyards looking like rice-fields, Montpellier had to seek Carcassonne's assistance. But so few Montpellier supporters made the effort to follow their team that the crowd in the stade Albert Domec numbered fewer than 300 on an ideal clear, still evening.Yet even in victory Glasgow could hear alarm bells ringing. Though faintly, the second half tonight was a warning. It was into added time before Sam Pinder ran in Glasgow's third try. Dan Parks converted all three tries as well as kicking two penalty goals and a drop goal.Glasgow's half-time lead should have been a platform for a comprehensive victory. In the second half, however, their game fell away, especially in the lineout, and it needed an injury-time try by Pinder to respond to the glittering pyrotechnics over the Carcassonne skies.Despite that element of criticism, Glasgow deserved much credit for their commitment and composure, particularly in the first half. They had more in their armoury than Montpellier's limited game based on forward grinding and high punting.Montpellier squeezed out a 6-3 lead from the first six minutes" play. Two penalty goals by Jeremy Vall bracketed one by Parks. The margin would have been more if Sylvain Jouvet had kicked a third penalty goal for Montpellier, his effort from 43 metres drifting wide after 11 minutes.However, Glasgow's first phase of continuity had its reward, ignited by Cammy Mather's lineout take on the right. Play swung to the other flank, with notable thrusts by Stuart Moffat and Euan Murray, before Glasgow reversed the point of attack to the right for Rory Kerr to send Macfadyen in after 23 minutes.Lamont exploded clear for his try five minutes later. Glasgow were looking good 11 points ahead, but that lead would have been sliced down had not Mickael Bert knocked on close to the Glasgow goal-line two minutes later.Parks stretched the Glasgow lead six minutes into the second half with a drop goal off a post and the crossbar, but mainly because of insecure lineouts Glasgow could not expand on that 14-point lead. Instead, they had to rely on defensive security. First, they needed Lamont's saving tackle after Yannick Saladie had slipped away on the blind side of a scrummage 30 metres out, and later Glasgow's defence proved as solid as Carcassonne's ancient ramparts in denying Montpellier's driving machinery off a short-range lineout.However, half an hour into the second half the Glasgow defence was punctured off similar forcefulness off another close lineout. John Daniell scored the try just as the fireworks started to light up the southern horizon, but Valls missed the conversion. Glasgow were still more than a full score ahead.Parks then bought more security with his second penalty goals, and after a seemingly illegal substitution by Montpellier, Aurelien Rossi returning to replace Denis Navizet, Glasgow made safe two minutes into added time. Lamont gathered a high kick around halfway, Gareth Maclure made ground from Montpellier's 10-metre line to the 22, and Pinder, less than five minutes on the field as replacement scrun half, ran in to turn the scoreline into a better reflection on how Glasgow had played, at least in the first half.Montpellier - Sylvain Jouve; Denis Navizet, Alessandro Stoica, Frederic Charrier, Aurelien Rossi; Jeremy Valls, Yannick Saladie; Mamuka Magrakvelidze, Laurent Armand, Clement Baiocco, John Daniell, Thierry Gras, Stephane Welch, Jharay Russell (captain), Mickael Bert. Substitutes - Murphy Taele for Stoica (30 minutes), David Bortolussi for Navizet (45-53), Soso Nikolaenko for Baiocco (50), Michel Macurdy for Gras (50), Olivier Diomande for Magrakvelidze (69), Sebastien Galtier for Welch (72), Bortolussi for Rossi (74), Sebastien Buada for Saladie (76), Rossi for Navizet (81).Try, Daniell; penalty goals, Valls (2).Glasgow - Stuart Moffat; Rory Kerr, Gareth Maclure, Andrew Henderson, Sean Lamont; Dan Parks, Graeme Beveridge; Euan Murray, Gordon Bulloch, Andrew Kelly, Andrew Hall, Nathan Ross, Cameron Mather (captain), Jon Petrie, Donnie Macfadyen. Substitutes - Lee Harrison for Murray (24-38), Harrison for Kelly ((59), Scott Lawson for Bulloch (61), Joe Beardshaw for Ross (61), Kelly for Murray (71), Paul Dearlove for Petrie (74), Sam Pinder for Beveridge (77).Tries, Macfadyen, Lamont, Pinder; conversions, Parks (3); penalty goals, Parks (2); drop goal, Parks.Referee - Simon McDowell (Ireland).Montpellier 11, Glasgow 30With uncanny timing, however coincidental, fireworks cracked and sparkled in celebration over Carcassonne's ancient walls and towers this evening as Glasgow notched their first European tournament victory in France. A winning margin of 19 points, with a 3-2 try-count, was a satisfying, comfortable cushion to take from the away leg of the Parker Pen Challenge Cup first-round tie.When the teams meet again, six days hence at Hughenden in the second leg, Glasgow will be in the driving seat. They can dictate the pattern of play. They can frustrate the French, and if the correct cards are played Glasgow could finish off the tie in style. Hughenden needs a home win to reboot the season, and Glasgow already know how to cop with Montpellier's limited game, with mauling forwards and kick-and-chase.Tries by Donnie Macfadyen and Sean Lamont, within five minutes of each other in the second quarter of the match, paved the way for the success. Glasgow eased to a 17-6 lead at half-time, and by the end the margin had stretched to 30-11A small contingent of Glasgow supporters, 30 or so, were well rewarded. They made their presence heard, and they were not outdone by the "home" crowd. As Hugh Campbell, Glasgow's coach, acknowledged after the match, it probably counted in his team's favour that both parties had to travel a couple of hours from Montpellier to Carcassonne so that the game could be played.Because of flooding in the region, with rivers still in spate and vineyards looking like rice-fields, Montpellier had to seek Carcassonne's assistance. But so few Montpellier supporters made the effort to follow their team that the crowd in the stade Albert Domec numbered fewer than 300 on an ideal clear, still evening.Yet even in victory Glasgow could hear alarm bells ringing. Though faintly, the second half tonight was a warning. It was into added time before Sam Pinder ran in Glasgow's third try. Dan Parks converted all three tries as well as kicking two penalty goals and a drop goal.Glasgow's half-time lead should have been a platform for a comprehensive victory. In the second half, however, their game fell away, especially in the lineout, and it needed an injury-time try by Pinder to respond to the glittering pyrotechnics over the Carcassonne skies.Despite that element of criticism, Glasgow deserved much credit for their commitment and composure, particularly in the first half. They had more in their armoury than Montpellier's limited game based on forward grinding and high punting.Montpellier squeezed out a 6-3 lead from the first six minutes" play. Two penalty goals by Jeremy Vall bracketed one by Parks. The margin would have been more if Sylvain Jouvet had kicked a third penalty goal for Montpellier, his effort from 43 metres drifting wide after 11 minutes.However, Glasgow's first phase of continuity had its reward, ignited by Cammy Mather's lineout take on the right. Play swung to the other flank, with notable thrusts by Stuart Moffat and Euan Murray, before Glasgow reversed the point of attack to the right for Rory Kerr to send Macfadyen in after 23 minutes.Lamont exploded clear for his try five minutes later. Glasgow were looking good 11 points ahead, but that lead would have been sliced down had not Mickael Bert knocked on close to the Glasgow goal-line two minutes later.Parks stretched the Glasgow lead six minutes into the second half with a drop goal off a post and the crossbar, but mainly because of insecure lineouts Glasgow could not expand on that 14-point lead. Instead, they had to rely on defensive security. First, they needed Lamont's saving tackle after Yannick Saladie had slipped away on the blind side of a scrummage 30 metres out, and later Glasgow's defence proved as solid as Carcassonne's ancient ramparts in denying Montpellier's driving machinery off a short-range lineout.However, half an hour into the second half the Glasgow defence was punctured off similar forcefulness off another close lineout. John Daniell scored the try just as the fireworks started to light up the southern horizon, but Valls missed the conversion. Glasgow were still more than a full score ahead.Parks then bought more security with his second penalty goals, and after a seemingly illegal substitution by Montpellier, Aurelien Rossi returning to replace Denis Navizet, Glasgow made safe two minutes into added time. Lamont gathered a high kick around halfway, Gareth Maclure made ground from Montpellier's 10-metre line to the 22, and Pinder, less than five minutes on the field as replacement scrun half, ran in to turn the scoreline into a better reflection on how Glasgow had played, at least in the first half.Montpellier - Sylvain Jouve; Denis Navizet, Alessandro Stoica, Frederic Charrier, Aurelien Rossi; Jeremy Valls, Yannick Saladie; Mamuka Magrakvelidze, Laurent Armand, Clement Baiocco, John Daniell, Thierry Gras, Stephane Welch, Jharay Russell (captain), Mickael Bert. Substitutes - Murphy Taele for Stoica (30 minutes), David Bortolussi for Navizet (45-53), Soso Nikolaenko for Baiocco (50), Michel Macurdy for Gras (50), Olivier Diomande for Magrakvelidze (69), Sebastien Galtier for Welch (72), Bortolussi for Rossi (74), Sebastien Buada for Saladie (76), Rossi for Navizet (81).Try, Daniell; penalty goals, Valls (2).Glasgow - Stuart Moffat; Rory Kerr, Gareth Maclure, Andrew Henderson, Sean Lamont; Dan Parks, Graeme Beveridge; Euan Murray, Gordon Bulloch, Andrew Kelly, Andrew Hall, Nathan Ross, Cameron Mather (captain), Jon Petrie, Donnie Macfadyen. Substitutes - Lee Harrison for Murray (24-38), Harrison for Kelly ((59), Scott Lawson for Bulloch (61), Joe Beardshaw for Ross (61), Kelly for Murray (71), Paul Dearlove for Petrie (74), Sam Pinder for Beveridge (77).Tries, Macfadyen, Lamont, Pinder; conversions, Parks (3); penalty goals, Parks (2); drop goal, Parks.Referee - Simon McDowell (Ireland).